Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-07-23
lnE FREE BATHS,
ONE OF The POPULAR INSTirU-
TONS or TIE METROPOLIS.

A Blessing to New Works Warm and
P-rspiring ia. .enil..-"Ladie-' Days"
When Cash Girls and Niu Employees
Have Chance.
Among the many public institutions of
this city the free bathing Sy>reIu j., during
the summer months prr-cUiiurnIly the
most popular The tree bathing house. is
the poor mans >ra-iir and fr,m day TO
day during the summer season the warm
and perSplring humanity of the town
turns ont in countless numbers. and ecrks
within ILL., ugly wo"dcn walls iu,lguratinS
co"lue~~ and health renewing exercise.
On TUESDAYS. Thursdays, Saturdays and
part uf sunday the men and boys take
possession Uf the houses. while Monday,
Wednesday and Friday are ladies days"
In the former crowd there j. generally
sprinklng Of mechanics, day lnb"rcrS and
clerks. but the major part OF it consists Of
youtd-wiId, eNuberaut youth: youth Of
different ages. nationality and attire, but
with one single object i'll view. and that
To dndgr the keeper and SWIM IT. long and
often ~ possible Pushing and struggling
for al entrance there are lcaden hreled
messenger boys displaying for the moment
that marvellous activity that they never
exhibit anywhere else but un the signs and
advertisements Of their respective CUmpa-
ui"~. office buyS. who have been sent upon
important rrrand~. which IN the rN-
Citrmcnt of the moment they have forgot
ten all about. and echu"Ibuys. who are
playing hockey" within whom, even in
the midst uf their widest pleasure. rises
dl~hrart-ning CuuieCture~ ~ tu how they
are gOiU" To catch il tomorrow
TUE BOY FROM NOWHERE.
But the boy who comes from nowhere
and belongs to nob"dy j. the predominant
iug element. This SagranG juvenile is Of
no particular age or >iZr, i sometimes the
pos>,.~-or uf budding mu-tachr aud
sometimes hut a mere infant. lIi~ parents
hcing unable to bear the expense Of sup
porting him, turned him out an early age;
81 as far ~ family ties are concerned he j.
unbur,fened 10y ihcsl. and lives un IN bliss
ful ignorance Of the fact that he ever had
any relations His dress i marked
throughout hy an extreme simplicity II
consists of Il worn out shirt and single
su>pender that supports II pair uf trousers
which, III addition To being either InCuu-
veuitntly too large or TilICuluu-ly too
small. are covered with iugrniou~iy III
serted and many CclOred patches Hats,
shoes and stockings are Looked upon ~
effemlnate luNUTieS. and are >COrucd aC-
Curdingly. His language CUnVlnCc> Suu
al once that hc j. not Il member of "a Bible
class, for il i Ecrmeatcd with species Of
prrCntiouS profanity that for fertility of
invention cannot be surpassed An
empty larrel with some straw in the bot.
tom Of II answers IoT "a home during one
part Of the year. while hallway or
secluded allry suf'!Cr~ when the winter
comes. During the warm months he
spends his day in the wafer. the Keeper
may put him, ont again and again. may
threaten him until his voice grows weak
and may congratulate himself that lac has
finally got ril of him, hut nevertheless lie
always COMES back. \ twist Of the hair,
n turn Of the shirt. and he boldly marches
in a. su'arholy else At the first cold
snap he deserts the docks. and disappears
among the labyriuthian lanes OF the teue-
ment house region.
On ladies days the aSsemblage that
gathers at the baths i n small and quiet
one. Il i greatest towards evening when
the stores close Ip and the factories and
mills stop running. The little cash girl
with her bathing suit under her arm comes
down with nun her of her bosom friends
or perhaps her mother. and plunging into
the inviting waves furgetS for u delicious
twenty minutes that there are such things
aS crowded and heated stores. lynx eyed
and fault.udmg floor walkers and domi-
neering salr~ladieS, although from morn
ing 10 night these three things are the
irritating and disturbing elements in her
small life.
IUILETsS FROM TIE MILLS